


Snowballs Falling

by Hodgefics



Category: Mission US (Video Game)
Genre: Denial of Feelings, Developing Relationship, F/M, First Dates, First Kiss, Fluff and Angst, For Crown or Colony
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-30
Updated: 2020-12-30
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:20:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,310
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28436001
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hodgefics/pseuds/Hodgefics
Summary: Royce Dillingham knows exactly who Elaina Dumont is. And Elaina knows exactly who Royce is, but that's not necessarily a good thing.
Relationships: Royce Dillingham/Original Female Character





	Snowballs Falling

Elaina and Lydia walk down the cobblestone street together. 

“Do you think your parents will let you go to the fair alone?” Lydia asks.

“They know I’ll be with you, so there’s no reason for them to say no,” Elaina says with a shrug. 

As they continue down the road, they find young Nathaniel Wheeler heading towards the printshop with his arms full of heavy-looking equipment. 

Before Elaina can motion to Lydia for them to offer him some help, she catches sight of Royce Dillingham getting ready to throw a snowball at Nat. 

“What is he doing? Nat’s carrying all that stuff and he thinks now is the right time to throw things at him? Unbelievable!” She yells as she kneels down into the snow and makes a ball of her own.

“Elaina, don’t!” Her friend hisses.

Elaina takes aim and manages to hit Royce square in the face. 

“What the hell?” He says, dropping his own snowball to touch his now reddened face. He scans the area that the snowball was thrown from with a scowl. 

Elaina grabs her friend and hides them both around the corner. 

“What were you thinking? What if he saw us? What if he tells your parents?” Lydia asks frantically. 

“They’ll understand...or at least my mother will,” Elaina says, her heart pounding. 

Her friend makes a noise of disapproval and begins to walk towards her house.

Elaina hangs back for a moment and peeks around the corner.

Royce remains frozen with a scowl on his face and she smiles as she sees young Nat laughing heartily at the situation. She had hoped that Nat would know better than to further bruise Royce’s ego by laughing, but she couldn’t have known for sure. 

As if sensing her gaze, Royce looks in her direction and she quickly turns the corner again. 

Royce smirks as he realizes he knows only one girl with that shade of honey-brown hair. 

<><><><><><>

The next day at the market, Elaina strolls around, buying the necessary items for the household.

As she stops to admire some new fabrics, she hears someone clear their throat behind her. She slowly turns around to find Royce Dillingham staring right at her.

“May I help you?” She asks calmly.

“Did I see you around King’s Street yesterday?” He asks casually. 

Elaina shakes her head. “No, I don’t think so. I didn’t go out yesterday--too much to do around the house.”

“Uh-huh. I could have sworn it was you...and Little Nat thought so as well.” He whispers, leaning closer to her. 

Her eyes widen, but she remains calm as she says, “He must have been mistaken.”

Royce chuckles before he straightens his posture and takes a step away from her. “Right, then. Well, I apologize for bothering you, miss.”

“It’s no problem, Royce. Have a nice day.”

She turns to walk away from him, but he catches her wrist with his hand.

He brings his lips towards her ear and whispers, “I know it was you that threw that snowball, little fox. You’ve got quite the arm.”

Elaina huffs in frustration. “Let me go, Royce.”

He releases her arm and smirks once again. She looks up at him with a glare. 

“I hope to see you again.” He says cheekily.

Elaina rolls her eyes and rushes away from him.

<><><><><><>

A few days later, Elaina and her brother find themselves dragged to yet another dinner party hosted by the Garnier family. 

As soon as they enter the building, Mr. Garnier rushes to greet the family. 

“Ah, Mr. and Mrs. Dumont, it’s so good to see you. I see that your children have grown up quite handsomely.”

Elaina’s parents smile proudly while she and her brother make pained smiles at each other. 

“Elaina, there are quite a few eligible young men here tonight. Perhaps you’ll find one that strikes your fancy.” Mr. Garnier says. 

Mr. Dumont chuckles. “That would be a surprise. Elaina has found every man in this city to be unworthy of her affection.” 

“You and mother don’t really want to see me married off so soon, anyway,” Elaina says as she crosses her arms over her chest. 

“That is true, but you need to lay down some groundwork on the husband search at some point, Elaina.” Her mother says scoldingly. 

Elaina frowns. She had managed to avoid most of the parties when she was younger, but as she approached marriageable age, her mother no longer made such allowances. Elaina silently thinks that her luck can’t get much worse until she notices Mrs. Garnier heading their way. Her face instantly lights up as she catches sight of Elaina and she knows she’s in trouble.

“Elaina, my dear! I’m so glad you’re here, I have a young man I want you to meet!” Mrs. Garnier says enthusiastically. 

“Not you too,” Elaina says exasperatedly.

“Go on, Elaina.” Her mother says as she pushes her forwards.

“Alright, fine,” Elaina says defeatedly. As she passes her brother, she hisses “If I’m not back in twenty minutes, come up with an emergency and get me out of here.”

Mrs. Garnier leads her to the dancing area and towards a tall dark-haired man who has his back to them.

As they get closer, Elaina begins to feel more and more uneasy. 

“Ah, Royce, this is Elaina Dumont, the girl I told you about.”

Elaina’s jaw drops as Royce turns around to face them. 

“I’m Royce Dillingham. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Royce says with a smile as he offers his hand to Elaina. She can see the amusement in his eyes and she glares at him. 

Elaina reluctantly puts her hand in his and she watches with her breath held as he brings her hand up to his lips. 

As he returns her hand, she sees his signature smirk making its appearance and she rolls her eyes at him.

“Royce is an apprentice to Mr. Thomas down the street. Elaina is the daughter of Mr. Dumont who owns several businesses in town.”

“Yes, I’ve heard of him. He’s quite the businessman.” Royce says genuinely. 

“That he is.” Mrs. Garnier says, looking happily between the two. “Well, I’d best be getting back to hosting the party. You two keep chatting and I’ll check on you later.”

Royce and Elaina watch her leave. Elaina relaxes as she no longer has to keep up the polite facade for anyone. 

Royce watches her for a moment before he says, “It’s good to see you again, Miss Dumont.”

“You’re just lucky I don’t have anything to throw at you,” Elaina says as she turns to look around the room. 

“So you admit it? It was you that day!” Royce exclaims, pointing at her accusingly. He shakes his head at her before his gaze softens at the young woman. “Now, I have hardly done anything to warrant having things thrown at me today.” 

“Being Royce Dillingham isn’t reason enough to have things thrown at you?” She jests. 

“You’re very harsh for a young woman,” Royce says plainly. 

Elaina shrugs. “So what? I’m not trying to impress you.”

“Even if you wanted to impress me, I doubt you could act innocently enough for more than a minute,” Royce says, chuckling. 

Elaina’s face scrunches up as she narrows her eyes at him. “A minute? Really?”

Royce ignores her question and stares over her head at the crowd behind her as he responds, “You really should consider trying to impress me. I hear your marriage prospects are quite low.”

Elaina scoffs in disbelief. “Excuse me? And women are lining up at the door to marry an apprentice?”

Royce crosses his arms over his chest as his gaze meets hers again. “I happen to be a very good-looking apprentice and I can’t believe you’d look down on someone for having to be an apprentice!” He says indignantly. 

“I don’t look down on apprentices! I just don’t think that any parent would let their daughter marry someone who doesn’t have their own job yet!”

Royce watches Elaina’s expression and he suddenly regrets bringing up her marriage prospects. “Okay, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“It’s fine. I’m sorry I insulted you.” She mutters, avoiding his eyes. 

“I don’t have any doubt you’ll find a good husband. You’re pretty and if I had to guess, you’re probably well-educated.”

Elaina’s head snaps up towards him and she blushes. “Thank you, Royce, that’s very...sweet.”

“Don’t get used to it. I still haven’t forgiven you for the snowball incident.” 

Elaina nods. “I understand. I’ll make it up to you.”

“How about starting now?” He asks, a hint of mischief in his eyes. 

“What are you talking about?” 

“Dance with me.” He says as he offers her his hand. 

“Royce, I don’t dance, I—“ She trails off as he grabs her arm and pulls her to the dance floor.

They dance quietly for a few minutes before Elaina realizes that she doesn’t know very much about Royce, despite having known of him for a few years. 

“Do you have family here?” She asks.

“No, they’re back in Williamstown.” He says without revealing any emotion. 

“Oh, I see. It must be lonely.” She says genuinely. 

Royce shrugs. “Not really. I live with plenty of other guys and Mr. Thomas is very kind to me.”

“That’s a good thing. Do you think you’ll work here when your apprenticeship is over?”

“I might decide to travel around a bit, but I think I’d like to stay here. Why do you ask? You afraid of losing me already?” He asks as his grip on her tightens. 

Elaina’s face breaks into a wide grin. “You’re very funny, Dillingham.”

“I like to think so.” He says with a wink. 

The song ends and Royce looks down at her with a strange look in his eyes.

“Well, thank you for convincing me to dance with you. It was nice.” She says as she starts to pull away. 

Royce catches her and pulls her back towards him. 

“You know, if your parents ever need some proof of you making progress with some guy, just let me know.” He whispers. 

“Thank you, Royce. I might take you up on that.” Elaina says as she squeezes his arm affectionately. 

He watches as she heads back towards her family, and his heart skips a beat as she turns around to wave in his direction. 

<><><><><><>

A few days later, Elaina and invites Lydia over for tea. She quickly regrets the decision as Lydia proves to be much more interested in the events of the party than in Elaina’s scheduled activities.

“Royce Dillingham?!? You danced with Royce Dillingham?!? You have no idea how lucky you are! I know so many girls who would kill to have him look their way!” Lydia yells. 

“He’s just a man,” Elaina says as she starts to pick at her chipping teacup. 

Lydia stares at her in disbelief for a moment before she notices that Elaina won’t make eye contact with her. 

“Wait a second, you like him!” Lydia exclaims. 

“I do not!” Elaina yells as she throws a pillow at her. 

“You do! I can’t believe it, Elaina’s finally interested in marriage!”

“I am not thinking about marriage!” Elaina says angrily. 

The door bursts open and to reveal Elaina’s little brother, who is covered in snow and shivering.

“Oh my goodness, you’re freezing! What happened? Why are you so out of breath?” She asks as she rushes to cover him with a blanket. 

“I was trying to carry this shipment from the docks to the town hall, but I just couldn’t do it. I ran into Royce on the way and he was able to carry it. He told me not to worry about it and to just head on home.” He says as he sheds his coat and starts to climb the stairs.

“Did you hear that? Royce is strong! He could pick you up so easily!” Lydia says excitedly. 

Elain’s brows furrow. “Why on Earth would he be picking me up?”

“Ah, Elaina, it’s just a fantasy! He comes up to you and scoops you into his arms or maybe you’ve been injured and he holds you to his chest as he takes you to the doctor.” She says dreamily. 

Elaina waves her hand dismissively at her. “Stop! I am not thinking about him in that way!”

Someone knocks on the door and Elaina jumps up to open it. 

“Thank God.” She mutters as she opens the door.

Her eyes go wide as she takes in the sight of a huffing, red-cheeked Royce dressed in a black jacket with a green scarf.

“Hello, Elaina. I was hoping you’d like to go on a walk with me.”

“Royce, you’re going to catch a cold. Get inside.” She says as she pulls him into the room. 

Elaina escorts him to the table and takes his coat. Meanwhile, her friend motions enthusiastically towards Royce and makes kissy faces at her. Elaina glares at her and she simply shrugs. 

Elaina ignores her friend as she hands Royce a cup of tea. “Here you go, Royce. This should help fend off the cold. Although you’re awfully sweaty too.” She says as she absentmindedly touches his forehead. 

He looks up at her softly and smirks.

Lydia smiles at the two as she gets up from her chair. “Well, I’d best be going. Elaina, I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”

“Ok, Lydia. I’ll see you then.” Elaina says, waving absentmindedly in her direction. 

Royce watches as Lydia leaves the house before he turns back to Elaina and asks, “Did I scare her off?” 

“No, I don’t think so.”

Royce nods as he studies Elaina’s face appreciatively. “It doesn’t matter anyway, I did want to get you alone.”

Elaina rolls her eyes at him. “Royce, focus on getting warm.”

“I’m plenty warm, thanks to you.” He says as he stands and moves to loom over her.

She backs up a few steps and feels her heart race. She had never realized how small she is compared to Royce. 

“You’re a mess. Maybe you should go up and take a bath,” Elaina says as she moves around him to fiddle with the teacups. 

Royce smiles at her nervousness. 

“Alright.” He says as he begins to undress.

Elaina turns around and gasps before covering her eyes.

“Royce, my brother is here! Do you realize how much trouble I could get into if he or anybody else saw me in a room with a half-naked man!”

“I’m heading upstairs now, calm down.”

She watches as he starts up the stairs. He turns back to her and grins when he finds her staring at him. 

A while later, Royce appears at the top of the stairs, fully-dressed and ruffling his now-dry hair.

Elaina gets up from her seat at the table.

“Do you have time for a walk with me, now? The snow’s finally stopped.” 

Elaina stares at him with a frown before she feels her resolve start to crumble. “I--alright.” She says before grabbing her coat.

Royce smiles victoriously as he rushes to follow after her.

<><><><><><>

“Where is it that you wanted to go?” She asks as they walk down the cobblestone street together.

“To the marketplace,” Royce says matter-of-factly. 

Elaina stops and raises an eyebrow at him. “Why the marketplace?”

“You’ll see.” He says cheekily as he takes her wrist and guides her to a particular vendor.

As they approach the booth, Elaina notices a familiar smell in the air. “Cider? You dragged me out of the house and into the cold for cider?” She asks in disbelief. 

Royce shrugs, a sheepish grin on his face. “Well, yes. It’s good cider and it’ll warm you up while we walk.” He says as he pays for a cup for each of them.

“And why are we walking again?” Elaina asks as she brings the cup to her lips. 

“Because you seem to be very concerned about being seen alone with me. And this is as public of a place as I could think of.”

“Royce, we don’t need a sea of chaperones—“ Elaina says, shaking her head. 

“We don’t?” He asks in mock-surprise. 

Elaina scowls at him. “Don’t get excited. I’m just saying it’s not like I’m going to jump you the minute we’re left unsupervised.”

“That wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world,” Royce says with a smirk. 

Elaina stops and turns towards him with her arms crossed over her chest. “Stop it, Royce.”

“What? Are you worried people will talk and ruin your reputation?”

She scoffs at his cluelessness. “It is going to be hard enough to find a man that I can stand and is willing to marry me without you making me look like a fool!”

Royce nearly chokes on his cider. “What? Who are you looking to marry? One of those soldiers that are always around your house?” He asks, his voice rising to an uncomfortable level. 

Elaina’s eyes widen at him and her face flushes as she feels people beginning to stare. She waves apologetically to the locals around them before she grabs Royce’s arm and drags him out of earshot.

“I would never marry a soldier, you idiot.” She hisses as she releases his arm. “And why are you getting upset with me? It’s not like you stand to lose anything if people gossip about you. You’ll still be the dashing and charming Royce Dillingham and I’ll just be the latest in the line of women to have embarrassed themselves by fawning over you!” 

Royce hangs his head and kicks a rock by his feet. “I’m not trying to make your life more difficult. I don’t want you to be thinking about marriage.” He admits in a soft voice. 

Elaina sighs exasperatedly. “Honestly, Royce, you know I have to. Many girls my age are already married and—“

“I don’t want you to be thinking about marriage to other men.” He says with more conviction in his voice than she’d ever heard before. 

She pauses for a moment to consider his words and she can’t help but to ask, “What do you mean ‘other men’?” 

Royce sighs and pushes his hat further down his face. “Forget I said anything. It’s getting late, we should get you home.” 

Elaina wants to question him further, but the deep frown on his face convinces her otherwise. 

She follows slightly behind him the entire way home and he does not say a word to her the entire way there.

He stops as they reach her doorstep, and she tries to read the expression on his face. She waits for him to bid her good night, but he won’t even look at her. 

Elaina nods to herself before she moves past him to open the door. 

Royce watches her go with a look of longing and he remains by her house until he’s sure she’s inside safe and sound. 

<><><><><>

It’s been a few days since her outing with Royce, and Elaina’s stomach drops every time she thinks about it. 

Her mother notices Elaina’s sour mood and is careful to avoid the subject until she spots her daughter pouting at the kitchen table one night. “Have you heard from Royce lately, love?”

“No, mom, I haven’t,” Elaina says curtly. 

“That’s a shame. It was nice having a handsome boy like him around.” Her mother says with a knowing smile. 

“I’m sure it was,” Elaina snaps in annoyance. 

Elaina’s mother shakes her head at her daughter’s stubbornness. “Your father and I are going to Mr. Jameson’s house tonight for a party. Do try and do something fun while we’re out, honey.” 

“Yes, mum,” Elaina mutters.

“That’s my girl.” Her mother says cheerfully as she ushers her husband out the door. 

Elaina sighs and takes her cup of tea in her hand before she goes up the steps to her room. 

As she sits at her desk, she hears something hit her window. She walks towards the window and peers outside.

Elaina gasps and opens the window.

“What are you doing here?” She hisses at Royce below.

“I came to apologize!” He yells.

Elaina’s jaw drops. “Royce Dillingham, are you drunk?!?”

“Maybe a little.” He says, his body swaying slightly.

“That’s it! Get in here now before someone sees you!” 

“What?” He yells.

“Bloody idiot.” She hisses as she runs down the stairs and out the door.

She stands a few feet away from him with her arms crossed.

He watches her with a hazy look in his eyes.

“Why on earth would you drink so much, Royce?”

Royce shrugs. “It was supposed to be a fun night, a night for the boys, but I kept wanting to come here. Then I realized I couldn’t come here and that made me feel worse, so I drank more.”

“Why couldn’t you come here?” Elaina asks in confusion. 

“Because then I’d have to see you.” He admits. 

Elaina frowns at him. “Excuse me?”

“If I saw you then I’d tell you something stupid like I want to court you for real.”

Her eyes widen in surprise at his admission and she can barely contain the feeling of hope in her chest as she asks, “And do you?”

“Of course. But I could never say that to you.” Royce says as he motions towards her. 

“Why not?” 

“Because you don’t care for me. You don’t care about me at all.” He whines. 

Elaina rolls her eyes at him as she grabs his arm to pull him inside. “You don’t know what you’re talking about. You’re talking nonsense.”

“It’s true, you don’t care about me.” He says accusingly as his weight threatens to crush her against the doorway.

“You really are stupid you know that?” Elaina huffs as she pushes him towards a chair. 

“See? That’s how you treat me, you’re never nice to me—“

“Damn it, Royce, I care about you more than anyone! Can’t you see that?” She yells as she releases her head on him.

Royce stares blankly at her for a moment before her words begin to register. 

“I care for you, you drunken buffoon. Now, you’re not going to remember any of this tomorrow morning and I’m okay with that. Let’s get you up to the guest room.”

“Ah, okay, a nap would be good.” He says sleepily. 

Elaina helps him to the bed and lays him down. As she tries to move away, he catches her hand.

“Please don’t go.” He whispers.

Elaina’s face is pained as she studies the boy in front of her. Reluctantly, she sits at the stool next to him, his hand in hers.

<><><><><><>

  
Royce awakens in an unfamiliar bed.

“What in the hell? Where am I?” He asks as he sits up. 

An old man enters the room and throws his jacket at him.

“Get up, young man, or you’ll be late for work.” He says gruffly. 

“Who are you?” Royce asks, his eyes squinting as he adjusts to the bright light from the window.

“I’m Gerard Thompson. I’m a neighbor of Miss Dumont’s.”

Royce feels a wave of shame roll over him. “Is that how I got here?”

Mr. Thompson nods. “She told me you paid her a drunken visit and she asked if my wife and I could take you in for the night so her parents wouldn’t find you. Sadly, my wife agreed.”

“Ah, I see. It won’t happen again, sir, I promise.”

“I think you owe that young woman an apology.” Mr. Thompson says with a raised brow. 

“Yes, sir. Thank you.” Royce says as he pulls on his jacket and heads out into the street.

He finds Elaina standing across the way, her cheeks red and her breath visible in the cold air.

He takes a deep breath and strolls towards her.

“Elaina.” He calls as she approaches her. 

She turns to him and dons an unreadable expression.

“Are you alright?” She asks, feigning indifference. 

“Yes, I’m fine. I’m sorry I caused trouble for you.”

Elaina looks away from him and crosses her arms over her chest. “I was worried about you.”

“You were?” He asks softly as he steps closer to her.

Elaina looks up at him with wide eyes. She nods, completely distracted by the intensity of his gaze. 

Royce smirks and moves his hand under her chin, tilting her face up towards his. 

Her gaze travels from his eyes to his lips and back. He lays his hand on her back, bringing her slowly closer to him. 

“Royce—“ She warns.

“Don’t worry about it.” He says before he leans into her and meets her lips with his.

As she relaxes into the kiss, her hands wrap around his waist, pulling him closer. He smiles and kisses her more intensely. 

When they break apart, Royce smiles cheekily at her and she blushes. 

“That was well worth the wait.” He says.

“Oh really? Maybe I should wait a while before the next time?”

“The next time? You’re already thinking of the next time I’ll kiss you?”

“Royce—“ She warms. 

“You’re cute when you’re angry.” He says affectionately as he pulls her closer once again. 

The church bells chime in the distance and Elaina suddenly turns to Royce, her face panicked.

“You’re late!”

“What?”

“You’re late for work, Royce!”

Royce shrugs. “Ah, I’ve never been late before. It’s just one time.” He says as he trails his fingers over the fabric covering her hips. 

Elaina shakes her head at him and swats his hands away. “Royce, go!”

“Alright, alright. I’ll pretend I’m not hurt that you want me to leave.” He says as he starts to walk away from her.

Elaina glares at him and he rushes back to her to kiss her on the cheek.

“I’ll see you tonight.” He calls as he starts his trek to work in earnest. 

Elaina chuckles as she watches him go.

<><><><><><><>


End file.
